Tourism, roads, ferry service among concerns County bringing to first AMO online conference
Administrator | Aug 17, 2020 | Comments 0
Increased tourism concerns, County roads, the Glenora Ferry service and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will be among Prince Edward County concerns discussed at this year’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference this week.
The Aug. 17-19 conference will be offered entirely online – a first in the more than 120-year history of the event.
The County delegation, including Mayor Steve Ferguson and councillors John Hirsch and Phil St-Jean will hold virtual meetings with several provincial ministers over the week.
“These are challenging times for Ontario municipalities, which makes this AMO conference incredibly important,” Mayor Ferguson said. “Even though we can’t get together in person, we are fortunate to still have the opportunity to meet virtually with provincial ministers and share with them some of the pressing issues Prince Edward County faces.”
The County will meet with Jeff Yurek, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, and Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Among issues to be presented are further talk about Sandbanks Provincial Park and increased tourism; roads needs including County Road 49 and the Picton town hill intersection and COVID-19 economic and social recovery.
The County, along with representatives from Napanee and Lennox and Addington plan a joint delegation meeting with minister Mulroney to propose improvements to the Glenora Ferry service.
Ontario’s largest municipal conference brings together more than 1,300 municipal, provincial and federal officials to discuss municipal challenges and plan for the future.
The conference program features more than 40 speakers, sessions and workshops, covering topics such as COVID-19, municipal services and economic recovery; long-term care; broadband internet quality and coverage across Ontario; diversity, equality and women in leadership; building strong relationships with Indigenous communities; economic perspectives on immigration and youth retention; climate change; waste management and the transition to full producer responsibility; disruption, data use, and digital governance; the future of 911 service; and more.
AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments.
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